At a multi-purpose arena, right outside of St. Louis, three elephants escaped from their handlers Saturday and proceeded to raid the parking lot, damaging some vehicles. Fortunately no one was hurt.

on.aol.com

Elephants escaped their circus pen in Missouri on Saturday, busting free from their enclosure at the Moolah Shrine Circus in St. Charles about 5 p.m. after they were “spooked.” The trio of female elephants were loose in an employee-only parking lot, and did damage to the vehicles parked there. No one was injured.

Police have confirmed three elephants escaped the Shrine Circus in Missouri on Saturday afternoon, roaming the carpark and damaging multiple cars before trainers were able to occupy them between some trailers.

CNN on Sunday writes: “What's better than a bull in a China shop? Three cows in a parking lot – elephant cows, that is. The trunked trio – all circus stars in St. Louis, Missouri – found a way out of their enclosure Saturday and went for a stroll.”

Witnesses said the elephants escaped their handlers and started running through the parking lot, confused and frightened.

“Things started shaking. When I looked up I saw three elephants coming toward us,” recounts Sally Schmiz, who was attending the circus that day with family. “These huge elephants literally went through these huge RVs.”

The President of Moolah Shrine Circus, Dennis Kelley, would only give a terse statement to the media.

“The elephants were loose for a brief period,” Kelley said. “The handlers were able to occupy the animals and they are resting comfortably at this time.”

Other employees at the circus confirmed that these three elephants in particular are the ones that are trained and used to give children rides. Fortunately, no children were on the backs of these two-ton pachyderms when they broke free.

The Shrine Circus has yet to disclose how the elephants managed to get loose, simply saying that they became spooked and ran under a garage door and out into the lot.

The elephant’s trainers were able to slow them down between some trailers in the parking lot and lead them back to their corral. On a recommendation from the trainers, the elephants were given the night off Saturday, but were back performing today. The circus said none of the elephants appeared to be hurt, despite bumping and denting several cars, smashing windows and breaking side mirrors off.

Share this article

Linsey is a married NY mom and is happy to contribute articles relating to top news. She is passionate about her writing, which she hopes you find appealing and engaging. As Ernest Hemingway said, “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

On Monday morning, a number of students at El Dorado High School in Placentia, California discovered a teacher dead. Jillian Jacobson who taught photography, was found hanging from the ceiling inside a classroom in what seems to be a suicide.